The Order of Merlin
by angelslaugh
Summary: A descendant of Morgana and Merlin and the Four Founders and the reincarnation of both Merlin and Morgana appears. A new order, one to rival the Order of the Phoenix appears. Watch out, Hogwarts. The Knights of Magic have arrived. Bad!Dumbledore, Nice!Voldemort. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

A long time ago, before the Founders Four of Hogwarts, there was an idiot manservant to a king named Merlin.

Of course, this 'idiot' was, in fact, the greatest sorcerer of all time, manservant to the greatest King of all time.

The king had a sister named Morgana. Merlin and Morgana hated each other. After Arthur's death and being sent into the Lake, Merlin fell in love. So did Morgana.

They had children, and their children had children and so on and so forth. Their children were always battling against each other.

Until two of the direct descendants of Merlin and Morgana fell in love.

It was during one of the most perilous times in magical history-when Voldemort was rising.

Merlin and Morgana had died of old age, knowing they would hate each other in the next life.

But that wasn't the case.

The two direct descendants of Merlin and Morgana had a child named her Merlin. However, this Merlin wasn't just the reincarnation of Merlin himself-she was the reincarnation of _both_ Merlin and Morgana.

Merlin le Fay was going to change the world.

~:~

One night, the le Fay family was just playing with their lovely daughter when someone entered the grounds.

Alert, the parents of the last descendant hid the child. Not even their Secret-Keeper knew the existence of Merlin le Fay.

Merlin knew enough to keep silent. That Halloween proved to be the most tragic Halloween ever in the history of the magical world.

The nearly one-year-old simply listened for her mommy and daddy. When an old man with a beard opened the door minutes later, Merlin knew her mommy and daddy were gone.

The child knew who killed them, too. The old bearded man.

He raised a stick.

 _"Obliviate."_

~:~

A few days later, they were found.

 _MOST MAGICAL BLOODLINES END WITH FORREST LE FAY AND LUNA LE FAY_

 _Forrest le Fay was the last living descendant of the sorceress Morgana, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Luna le Fay, maiden name Gray, was the last living descendant of the sorcerer Merlin, Godric Gryffindor, and Helga Hufflepuff. It is yet unclear whether or not the couple were killed by Death Eaters or not._

 _Evidence does suggest a child lived there; however, no child has been revealed._

A man with scarlet eyes scanned the article and frowned.

"Tom, isn't most of the le Fay family dead?" Lily Potter asked. Breaking Tom's Imperius Curse had been difficult, nearly impossible. Lily had once been a staunch supporter of Dumbledore, but after evidence had come to life, the Marauders and Lily had been swayed to 'neutral'. Lily claimed it was because she didn't want Harry targeted by Riddle when she was telling Dumbledore her reasons, but in reality the fact was Dumbledore was a manipulative old coot.

"Now only a child remains," Tom nodded. "Thank you, Lily, James, for this."

Lily tilted her head and smiled. "Just as long as you don't tattoo us, we're good!" she smiled.

James chuckled. "Come on, Lils. We have to go to your sister's."

Lily made a face. "Alright, fine."

They never knew that when they came back, they would be killed, but Riddle would only mark Harry, as if the Killing Curse would rebound.

They couldn't know that Dumbledore had been there, listening to them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I know this has been posted already. I added and revised this chapter (mostly). Please read~**

 **Enjoy~**

 **~:~**

"Merlin! Merlin, look!" years later Merlin le Fay looked at her adopted sibling, Harry Potter. Both had been adopted by a couple of older people.

Harry was cute, in the way most of his clothes were too big for him. They weren't malnourished by any means, just small for their ages.

He held up a flower that was slowly opening and closing. Merlin stared in amazement.

"You can do it, too?" Merlin asked with astonishment. Harry tilted his head.

"You can do it?" Harry asked. Merlin nodded and picked up a dead-looking rose and focused. A warmth rushed into her hand and the rose bloomed, turning a deep red.

"We can't tell Mum and Dad, they said it wasn't natural when I did it for the first time in front of them," Merlin told Harry. Both children made a silent pact to do it when they were alone.

"Children! Dinner!"

Harry and Merlin dropped their flowers and raced towards home, laughing as they raced against each other.

~:~

Eleven years old and Harry and Merlin were left home once more on their birthday, a day they shared.

"Hey, Merlin," Harry said in a questioning tone, "do you remember when your parents were-?"

"Mum called it amnesia," Merlin replied with a smile. "I can't remember anything from before I was two."

And Merlin had quite an accurate memory, too. She remembered waking up in the hospital and remembered her first word-death. She still didn't know why she had a shiver of anger whenever she had first looked at her dad. He didn't have a long beard, but it was very bushy. Maybe that's why? The anger had vanished a few years ago.

But still. The two magical beings pretended they were Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana, with Merlin playing equally as Merlin and Morgana, and Harry usually playing Arthur. It was kind of funny when their imaginations would run wild, from acting as though Merlin was a girl and Morgana was a boy.

Still. They were eleven now. Practically a grown-up.

Merlin and Harry were going to secondary school soon, which was a relief-a bully at their primary school, known as Dudley Dursley, was going to Smeltings. He boasted about it frequently.

An owl came up to them, practically on top of them, dropping two letters.

Another owl appeared, this time looking regal and dropped another two letters down at their feet, one last owl coming and dropping yet another letter, this time only one letter.

Merlin picked up the letters, seeing them addressed to them. Two were addressed to Harry, while three were addressed to Merlin.

All three of them basically said the same thing. All three owls stayed in one spot.

"Um...Harry?"

Harry glanced up at her.

"I don't think this Durmstrang Academy realizes that I'm a girl…"

~:~

Merlin and Harry both chose Hogwarts, if only because it seemed the less rigid of the schools.

Merlin smiled a little at everything around her. It was indeed magical. After receiving their letters, they'd asked their adoptive parents to take them to Diagon Alley. Not long afterwards they were on a train, and as some people recognized Harry more simply because of his scar, they were led through a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Right then they were sort of lost on where to go; even so, it was amazing simply wandering around the alley.

"Excuse me," a cool voice said, "are you two going to Hogwarts?"

Merlin and Harry turned to see a woman with black and silver hair looking at them, her eyes the only things with warmth in them.

"Yes, miss," Merlin said with a small smile. "Is your son?"

The woman nodded. "Do you have parents? Shouldn't they be here?"

Harry and Merlin exchanged a look, privately panicking. They knew that, it being a magical world, that they probably would face some prejudice from being raised by non-wizards.

"No, miss, our parents live in the non-magical community. Unfortunately so, as my brother and I had to take a train here alone," Merlin replied, grasping Harry's hand, mostly in comfort. This woman gave her a cool warmth feeling, but Merlin knew to trust nobody but her brother and adoptive parents.

"Oh, poor kids," the woman said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "What are your names?"

"Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself first, big eyes blinking owlishly.

"Merlin le Fay," Merlin said, not finding anything wrong with it.

The woman's eyes widened in genuine shock.

"Draco, be a dear and show the kids around, I have to go send an owl," the lady said, vanishing behind the brick wall.

Draco stared curiously at them. "You're the most famous wizards in history, aside from You-Know-Who!" he whispered.

Merlin dropped her head in her hands.

"I'm a girl," Merlin whispered.

Harry patted her back. "There, there," he awkwardly said.

Draco winced. "I'm sorry. What is it you need to get for school?"

"Our entire lists," Harry replied. "But we've no idea where to start."

"Gringotts first, then," Draco decided. He was very professional, even at hearing that Merlin and Harry didn't have their keys. In fact, they very plainly stated why they didn't have the keys to their vault: Neither Merlin nor Harry had prior knowledge of the wizarding world, and as such, they had no keys.

"A blood test will have to prove it, then," a goblin by the name Boneclaw said. "Mr. Malfoy, you may leave."

"I'm to show them around," the young boy said. "They need to get their wands, books, and pets."

Merlin nodded. She was kind of scared, but she knew how to treat beings with respect.

"With all due respect, sir, Harry and I were sent here to Diagon Alley. We don't know our way around, and it's kind of difficult to bring non-magic folk like our parents into Diagon Alley. Perhaps Draco can just wait outside while we work on this?" Merlin offered.

Boneclaw, Harry, and Draco all stared at her.

"Certainly, madam. Please, if you'll follow Griphook, mister, then I shall attend to the madam here," Boneclaw ordered.

Griphook was another goblin. Merlin watched with trepidation as Harry was showed to a different room.

"There's a fee for having a new key made," Boneclaw warned. "Fifty Galleons per key. If you are who you say you are, then your key will be blood-enchanted. Do you know what this means?"

Merlin shook her head. "I do not, sir."

"Means it'll be locked to you. You and whichever goblin you entrust it to until you're seventeen. If the goblin dies, another goblin will take over the key's guard and keep watch over it, again until you are seventeen. If you are not the true user, or have explicit permission to use said key through a written contract, you will die," the goblin said bluntly.

Merlin winced a bit. She held out her hand, and the goblin pricked her finger. In a goblet, something bubbled as the blood made contact with the gross and murky stuff. Without a pause, the water turned a bright blue. Merlin tensed in dread -

"You are who you say you are," Boneclaw grinned. It made Merlin shiver. He brought out some paper and dragged her through to an official-looking office, where Harry sat, looking pleased, but exhausted.

"Upon reaching your thirteenth birthday, you should come back to Gringotts for a further review of your bloodlines," Boneclaw informed them. Griphook stood off to the side. "I will inform Ragnor of your patronage, and your keys will be ready when you finish the paperwork."

"Excuse me, sir," Harry said, Boneclaw pausing at his voice. "But what is a 'magical guardian'?"

Boneclaw glanced at Griphook. "We'll go into that further on your thirteenth," he said, his voice kind of tight. "As soon as your keys are handed to you, follow Griphook and he will lead you to your vaults."

Both eleven-year-olds read over the paperwork - it included a goblin guardian for the vaults, goblin keyholder…

"Um, Mr. Griphook?" Merlin asked, a bit shy. "Would you hold my key for me?" She wanted his permission first.

Griphook looked surprised.

"And mine?" Harry asked quickly. "It would mean a lot to us," he added after a second, grasping Merlin's hand.

"Fine," the goblin responded. "It would be my honor."

Both Merlin and Harry used their quills to ink in Griphook's name.

"Mr. Griphook, I don't want to offend you, but I don't know which goblin is able to be a goblin guardian," Merlin said, tapping her leg.

Again, Griphook was surprised.

"Boneclaw," he offered at last.

"Do you think he would mind?" Merlin worried.

"Not at all," Griphook replied, smiling chillingly. "Boneclaw is ruthless and efficient. It would be our honor."

They hesitantly put Boneclaw's name on the parchment. They were able to fill out most of their paperwork, but there was one last piece not yet done.

Their parents.

"Er, I hate to be a bother," Merlin said, "but if we don't know our parents' names, who should we ask?"

Griphook looked outraged at the thought of them not knowing their parents' names. "Mr. Potter's parents were named Lily Potter, formerly Evans, and James Potter, her husband. Your parents, Miss Le Fay, were named Luna le Fay, formerly Gray, and Forrest le Fay. You two are well-known through the wizarding world; it is simply astonishing you never knew your parents." Griphook was angry, that they could tell.

"We do live in the non-magic world," Merlin whispered.

They finished their paperwork.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco still waited for them, his mother now there with a rather tall man with long blonde hair and a pointed chin. Elegance practically dripped off of him.

"Merlin, Harry, meet my parents," Draco said, gesturing towards said people.

"Lucius Malfoy," Lucius Malfoy announced, holding out a hand. "You've met my wife, Narcissa."

Merlin nodded, her hair turning pink at the roots. Harry coughed, getting their attention off of his silver-haired sister.

"Um, we still need to get our money, then give our keys to the keyholder, so…"

"Ah, very well. We still need to retrieve our own we go together, then?"

Draco smirked. "It's a very long ride, I've heard," he offered.

Boneclaw appeared. "Miss Le Fay, if you'll follow me. Griphook, take Mr. Potter to his vault with the Malfoys; I shall take Miss Le Fay to her vault."

Merlin gulped a little. Why was she so special?

~:~

By the time they finally got to Ollivander's, Merlin was practically asleep. It had been a long night, with lots of coffee. Now they just needed a wand and a pet. The Malfoys were chatting quietly among each other, and Merlin was glad to be out of the cold.

"Ah," Mr. Ollivander said, eyes alighting on the three Hogwarts students. "Mr. Malfoy. Your son is going into Hogwarts this year? Interesting, interesting. And Mr. Potter - Ah, I think I know the perfect wand for Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter each." He slid away, and Merlin frowned.

Two boxes were given to them, and once Ollivander confirmed that, he wrapped them, muttering, "Curious, curious. Oh, well; not my fault." Merlin's eyebrows shot up.

"Excuse me," she said, stopping him and making him look at her. "What about my wand?"

He looked rather surprised. "You want a wand?"

Merlin nodded. "I need one for school," she said slowly.

"I see…" he hummed. "Try… Hmm…" He looked around his shop. "Wait here, Miss Le Fay."

Merlin felt her irritation shoot up.

Harry patted her shoulder. "Calm yourself, Merlin."

"It's just… So bloody aggravating," Merlin growled.

Harry sighed. "You're probably famous, Merlin. He probably assumed with a name such as 'Merlin' you didn't need a wand."

"Uh-huh, and I'm the Queen of England," Merlin said flatly.

Ollivander came back, holding a wand box that looked like it was about to disintegrate.

"This wand was made of unicorn hair, a feather from a phoenix, a crushed scale of a dragon, and a drop of the sun and moon encased in willow wood. Forged a long time ago. Very firm. Powerful for any type of magic."

"Forged?" Merlin asked, picking up the wand gently. Unknown to her, a gentle breeze picked up.

"It is said that this wand was forged in the breath of one of the first dragons," Ollivander replied. "Willow wood is a very versatile wood. Tread carefully, Miss Le Fay."

"Wait," Merlin called as Ollivander disappeared into the back. "What about the payment?"

"Just take the wands," Ollivander replied. "I've needed to get rid of yours the longest!"

Merlin frowned.

"How rude," she said with a scowl.

"Ready to get our pets?" Harry asked, excited.

"Sure," Merlin sighed.

~:~

When Harry walked in, the animals were all racketing. When Merlin walked in, the animals were silent.

Two majestic owls immediately caught their eyes.

Merlin and Harry chose, respectively, the black owl and the white snowy owl. The black owl was next to the white snowy one, and neither of them were making a ruckus. As soon as they'd chosen, the other animals went silent save for a kitten.

"Poor kitten," the employee of the emporium said to Merlin as she was rang up. "Most Hogwarts students choose an owl. She's been here for a long while - nobody wants a black cat. We'll have to put her down soon. Taking up too much space." The witch looked regretful.

Merlin made a decision. "I'll take both the owl and the cat then," she said boldly.

The employee looked at her, surprised. Then she shrugged. "Suit yourself." She went and grabbed the kitten. "You'll have to buy everything that goes with her then."

"I assumed so," Merlin said, refraining from rolling her eyes. "Do they do extremely thorough searches at Hogwarts to stop people from taking in two animals?"

The employee eyed her, a smirk forming over her face. "Nope. It's just recommended that only a single one is brought in."

Merlin nodded. "I thought so~." She handed over the appropriate amount of money for the kitten's supplies and owl things, then walked out.

The Malfoy family and Harry all looked at her, laden down with cat and owl supplies.

"They were going to put her down," Merlin explained. "She's just a tiny little kitty, though~ So adorable!"

The cat licked her paw.

~:~

Staying at the Leaky Cauldron, the two magical children entered their shared room and collapsed on their beds.

"What a day," Merlin said, sighing. She got up and opened the cat food, then her owl food.

Harry watched her measure out two things of owl food. "Merlin, I bought my owl some food. Really, you don't have to do that."

"Harry, we have a month left," Merlin said to him with a patient smile. "If we both open our food now, we'll just have to get more right before we leave Hogwarts, then order some when we get there." Merlin fed the animals. She then looked at her trunk. "We should probably open our items and pack them up in our trunks, yes?"

Harry nodded. "Then can we take a look around the alley tomorrow? I found a book on curses."

"I was actually on the same page as you, Harry," Merlin smiled. "Except, well - I was going to look at Defense and Potions; seems like those two would be useful in our community."

"So you look at Defense and Potions, I'll look at the book of curses!" Harry suggested brightly.

"Sure," Merlin laughed. "But it's not as if we're going to be fighting anyone magically for a while, Harry. If ever." She started opening her packages. "Hey, Harry, we have all the same classes!" Merlin said after a while, making Harry nod.

"Yeah, I suppose we do." He took out his pointy hat. "I really hope we don't have to wear these stupid hats - I mean some people might look good with them on, but…"

Merlin grimaced and took out her Durmstrang letter and looked over the items requested.

"If we'd gone to Durmstrang we would have needed lots of furs," Merlin said to him.

Harry sighed. "I'd take furs over ridiculous _hats_ like this any day."

He set his pointy hat down.

"I completely agree," Merlin nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for not posting much in this story so far! I still have little idea where it's even going for now. I just put up a poll that pertains to this story and when I have 20 votes I'll put up the next chapter. Okay?**

 **~:~**

The next day, Merlin and Harry wandered around the alley, Tom the bartender promising to make sure nobody entered their room. The two students went to Flourish and Blotts, looking up their respective books, and were just about to leave when a brunette girl walked down the alley with an elderly lady and another boy, entering the magical bookstore.

The elderly woman peered at the booklist. "You think you could help with this lot, Neville? You _do_ remember where the books are all at, don't you, dear?"

"I don't," Neville said, looking shamefaced.

Merlin finished her transaction with the wizard and piped up.

"Excuse me," she said, politely. "I know the booklist quite well - I'm entering Hogwarts this year with my brother." She pointed at Harry, where he was waiting with his books, looking happy. After all, he _had_ just bought his book on jinxes, _Hogwarts, A History,_ and another book called _Quidditch Through the Ages_ ; Merlin had extracted a promise to be able to borrow his three, and in return he could borrow _her_ four. "I wouldn't mind finding the books for you two, if that's where you're going."

"We are," the brunette girl squeaked.

The elderly woman held out her hand. "Augusta Longbottom."

"Merlin le Fay," Merlin shook her hand. Then she held it out to the brunette. Mrs. Longbottom's eyes widened a little.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione offered. Merlin shook her hand.

"I'm Neville Longbottom," Neville offered.

"It's nice to meet you," Merlin smiled happily. Going through the stacks, she grabbed two books of every book on the list, resisting the urge to look over every stack again.

She handed the books to the two other kids, who thanked her.

Merlin simply smiled and waved away her thanks.

"Hey, kid!" She turned to see the wizard who had rang up her books beckoning to her. "We're kind of short-staffed this month; mind coming by for a few hours every day to help? We'll pay you," he assured her.

Merlin hesitated. "Can my brother help? He's pretty good at finding things, so…"

The wizard nodded. "Sure. What's your names?"

"Merlin le Fay and Harry Potter," Merlin said truthfully.

The wizard blinked, then shrugged.

"Come by tomorrow, after noon would be fine," he said with a smile.

Merlin nodded and bounced over to Harry.

"We have a small job~" she said to him as they left.

Harry looked at her warily. For good reason - they'd nearly been roped into watching Mrs. Figg's cats. Living in Little Whinging was boring, but there were numerous jobs that could be done for the neighbors. To pretend to be normal, Merlin had to dye her hair until she'd somehow started being able to control her hair color. And it had started with her hair color, but had finally spread to her features. However, she hated changing her features.

Anyway, Little Whinging was boring and Merlin had always been the little odd girl who liked earning money from the neighbors. It had been funny at first, seeing her mow the neighbor's grass at six, but then… It had become a regular sight to the neighborhood to see her doing odd jobs.

But Mrs. Figg was the definition of 'crazy cat lady'. She had about _twenty_ of the cats.

And now Merlin had one cat.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"We'll be helping at Flourish and Blotts," Merlin said happily.

Harry brightened. "That's brilliant!"

Both shared a smile.

~:~

By the time Merlin and Harry were at Platform 9 ¾, the two children had met a ton of Hogwarts students. Most of them stared at Merlin when they walked in, searched for their books, and Merlin had to help out a lot of people who seemed to drip arrogance. Those that didn't were usually very friendly.

Loading their things onto the scarlet train took them quite a while, as Merlin's was full of small things she'd bought with some of the earned money from working at Flourish and Blotts, and books - mostly school books, but she'd bought a few more than what was strictly necessary. So did the Hermione girl and Harry.

And Harry's was full of books on jinxes and curses. Him and Merlin would make a great team - what with him focused on curses and her focused on mostly Defense. Healing was a good idea, too; both of them happened to grab a few beginner's books.

"Need help with that?" A voice asked, and both looked up to see two twins Merlin had met when Harry had decided not to go to the bookshop, and instead focus on reading. (Merlin had taken the day after off.)

"Hi, Fred!" she said, smiling at the one who had spoken. "Hi, George! How are you?"

"Absolutely wonderful, madam~" the twins grinned and lifted the trunks, barely straining.

"Let me guess, you two are the studious type," George said, smiling.

"A little," Merlin admitted freely.

"I'm studying jinxes and curses," Harry said.

"Defense," Merlin added.

"Wow, you two got all your Hogwarts years figured out, hmm?" asked Fred with another grin. They entered a compartment that was empty save for Neville. A toad was sitting in a small tank. Merlin had advised him to get one, having to point out where the animal emporium was. Merlin hauled her cat, named Ailuros, and her owl, called Athena, into the compartment after them.

Fred and George waved goodbye, then walked away jauntily while promising to bug them later. Hermione stepped in with help from a boy with dreadlocks; he, Merlin did not know.

"You do know you're only allowed one animal, right?" Hermione asked, frowning.

Merlin plopped Ailuros in her lap. "Say she's yours, then," Merlin shrugged. "Please?"

Hermione nodded. "I was just wanting to tell you… You do know your name is on her collar, right?"

Merlin bit her lip. "If they don't do a strip search, then I think we're good," she told Hermione.

Hermione blushed. "I guess you're right," she said reluctantly. Neville looked curious, but Harry shook his head at him when he went to ask.

"Don't ask," he advised. "It's a Muggle thing."

"Ah." Neville thought about something. "Why are all three of you getting more than what's required?"

Merlin shrugged. "I thought it would be best to get ahead while I could - if I waited it wouldn't be smart. I don't know a lot about the Wizarding world, what jobs are offered after school is over - it doesn't make sense to wait until we're debating about our choices, you know?"

"My parents wanted me to go into law," Hermione said, blurting it out. She ducked her head when Neville, Merlin, and Harry looked at her. "I wasn't sure that's what I wanted to do, but I grabbed a copy of the Wizarding laws - current, mind you - and they have lots of outdated ones."

"So you're thinking about going into law anyway?" Merlin asked, interested. Hey, they might be first years, but it was a good idea to get a head start on your career.

"Yeah," Hermione nodded, smiling a little. "My parents are dentists."

"What are 'dentists'?" Neville frowned.

"Muggles who look at teeth," Merlin and Harry said in unison.

They giggled a little bit when Hermione and Neville looked at them.

"Sorry, we've been around each other our entire lives," Harry said apologetically. "Raised by Muggles, even though our parents are magicals."

"Most of the Wizarding world has heard your story," Neville admitted. "Both of yours," he added as Merlin's eyebrows shot up. "Forrest and Luna le Fay were the last living descendants of Morgana and Merlin."

"So they were real?!" Harry, Hermione, and Merlin asked in unison, all three of their eyes widening in utter shock.

After all, it wasn't every day that you hear an apparent myth/fairy tale was real.

"Yes," Neville nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so the question on the poll is if you all think Merlin should have Parseltongue or not. Only one vote so far, so I decided to post this chapter. But there won't be any more until I have 20 votes! So please vote!**

 **~:~**

The Sorting Hat was… Strange. Merlin, hiding Ailuros in her robe, winced as her claws cut into her skin. Merlin idly wondered if her last name would be under 'F' or 'L'. Her other teachers used 'F', but she didn't know which House she wanted to be in: She didn't want Slytherin (no offense to them, but really, just because she was ambitious didn't mean she wanted to be with the bullies of the school, as Neville had put it), she didn't want Ravenclaw because she didn't want to study all the time (although Hermione would be great in it), and she didn't really want Hufflepuff because of the House colors. That left the enemies of Slytherin and the most rule-breaking House, Gryffindor.

She wanted Gryffindor. After all, she was breaking a rule by having Ailuros there.

"Le Fay, Merlin!"

Merlin strode up to the Hat, ignoring the silence. She bit her tongue to stop from crying out at Ailuros' sharp claws and sat down. The Professor eyed her for a moment, making her flush, and then put the Hat on her head.

 _Already breaking rules today, are we?_ Hummed the Hat. _You'd do well in all four Houses; but you wish to be put in Gryffindor? Better be that, then._

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Thunderous applause hit her ears. Ailuros hissed, and Merlin practically _jogged_ to the table.

Fred and George opened up three seats, and she sat in it and turned as Hermione's name was called. So, it was 'F'. Once Harry's name was called, Merlin dragged Ailuros out, putting her on her lap. Percy Weasley stared at her, but said nothing as Merlin fixed an innocent smile on her face.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

A stunned silence as Harry walked over to sit next to her, visible relief on his face.

"Two of the most famous people in the Wizarding world, in Gryffindor!" Beamed Fred.

"I think I only got in because of Ailuros," Merlin muttered, gazing at her troublesome cat.

"At least you managed to get away with having two pets," Hermione hissed at her.

"Oh, don't be mad, it's not like I can't take care of animals!" Merlin hissed back. "I've taken care of Ailuros for a month now. She's happy. But sharp-clawed." Merlin winced.

"True," Hermione conceded.

"Before we begin our excellent feast," Dumbledore said, standing. "I have a few words I would like to share with you. Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak! Let us eat!"

"Is he mad?" Harry asked Percy Weasley.

"Dumbledore?" Percy asked, helping himself to mashed potatoes. "He's a genius. But… Yes, quite mad, actually. But brilliant."

"Don't think I've ever heard anyone called 'mad, but brilliant'," Merlin said, frowning a little.

"I've heard he has a pet phoenix," Neville piped up.

"Ah, you're talking about Fawkes," Percy nodded. "Yes, he does."

"Merlin le Fay!"

Merlin jumped, Ailuros hissing at the ghost.

Merlin ducked under the table. She was _beyond_ frightened of ghosts.

"Oh, no," Harry said, spotting the reason Merlin was now crouched under the table.

"What's with her?" Asked the professor wandering the tables.

"Well… Sir, Merlin's scared of ghosts," Harry said, wincing.

"Ah… Sir Nicolas, please don't scare the students. Tell the other ghosts; after all, not everyone is okay with a ghost hovering behind them," the teacher explained to the ghost.

Merlin crawled back into her seat after the ghost was gone, redfaced.

Harry patted her back.

~:~

Merlin followed Hermione, noticing that the girls got separate _rooms._ The rooms were down a curving hallway when they entered the area that had 'First Years' printed on a plaque on the door.

"Wow, they must really care about our privacy," Merlin noted.

"Yeah," Hermione said, looking amazed.

Merlin noticed her room, upon entering it, had her brother in it.

There was also another door.

"I'm guessing that the castle actually made this," she said, smiling at her brother.

Harry looked up, smiling at her. "I guess so," he replied. "I wasn't able to open the door to your side. Guess we can't open each other's doors."

"Maybe not." Merlin spotted her lovely Athena on one of the wardrobes. Ailuros jumped out of Merlin's arms. "Let's go to bed; I'm exhausted. We can just unpack most of everything tomorrow."

Harry nodded. "There's two bathrooms, just so you know."

Merlin beamed. "Yay~" She walked into hers and noticed it was a lovely shade of orange. She loved orange.

She did everything she needed to, then exited, collapsing on her bed, drawing the red curtains around it.


	6. Chapter 6

The first breakfast wasn't like the feast; students came and went after eating and getting their schedules.

"First and second years get similar schedules," Professor McGonagall said, glancing down at one of Merlin's fellow first years, Parvati Patil. "Until third year, you will have to deal with this."

She gave Merlin and Harry theirs, Merlin smiling upon seeing Friday Potions.

"We'll have double Potions," Harry bemoaned. "With Slytherins."

Merlin glared at her brother. "Be nice, Harry," she scolded. "We're all practically living together anyway; if you get on someone's bad side, I'll be caught in the thick of it because you _know_ I can fight where it's needed. Just don't make many enemies around here."

"I _don't_ make enemies," Harry said, scowling at Merlin. "But all right, I'll be as civil as I can."

Walking around with Harry, Merlin became aware of how many eyes were on her and Harry as they traversed the castle, getting lost quite a few times and completely missing their History of Magic class.

They literally ran into the headmaster upon that realization, and both students apologized quickly.

The headmaster waved his hand. "Do not worry," he said quietly. "I often found myself running around the castle as a first year. This is the third-floor corridor, though, and I have to tell you that it is out-of-bounds."

"Sorry, Professor," Merlin apologized, unable to look him in the eyes. "We just got lost. We're missing History of Magic, you see."

"Ah, a most dreadfully boring class," the Headmaster said.

Merlin and Harry glanced at him.

"Nevertheless, a necessary class. You should head to your next class; Professor Binns is one of those ghosts -"

Merlin squeaked. "Our History of Magic teacher is a ghost?" she asked, alarmed and white-faced.

The headmaster chuckled. "Indeed. Now, hurry on to Professor McGonagall's class."

The duo nodded and scampered away.

~:~

Their worst teacher was Professor Snape.

"Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry swallowed and thought fast. "Draught of Living Death, sir? I mean, you'd have to add other ingredients to it to make the full potion, but -"

"I didn't ask for an explanation!" snapped the professor. Harry flinched a little. "Potter, where would I look to find a bezoar?"

Merlin stared at Harry, who glanced at her as she wrote.

 _Stomach of a goat._

"Stomach of a goat, sir?" he asked, looking petrified as Snape grew closer and glared at him.

"Miss Le Fay, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At last, an easier question.

"There isn't a difference other than the name, sir," Merlin said, not meeting his eyes. "They're the same things. It's also called aconite, sir."

He nodded. "Five points to Gryffindor for each question answered correctly." He looked around. "Why isn't anybody copying this down?"

Scratching of quills ensued.

~:~

Merlin stared at the book at breakfast the next morning. She wasn't sure, but.. Harry's mum's name had been Lily, hadn't it?"

Harry leaned over at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Asphodel is a type of lily that, according to Victorian flower meanings, ' _my regrets follow you to the grave'._ Wormwood means 'absence' and typically symbolizes 'bitter sorrow'. Adding that together… I think he was telling you he regretted your mum's death," Merlin finished.

Harry looked up at the staff table, Merlin doing the same. Snape's face was inscrutable as he stared down at them.

Then the owls flooded in; two wrapped - and heavy - boxes were given to Merlin and Harry, who both traded dismayed looks at each other.

Hermione looked curious, as did a lot of the other students.

"What's in the boxes?" Neville asked, tilting his head.

"Well, our parents are Muggles," Harry explained. "So of course, when we got our Hogwarts letters, they didn't want us to come - they didn't think magic was real. And going to a school where it was real? Well, there was a condition we have to fulfill."

"I was just hoping to wait until after Halloween," Merlin replied with a sigh.

"We have to do Muggle schoolwork on top of magical," Harry said with a sigh.

Merlin slammed her head on the table.

"I wish I could," Hermione said enviously. Merlin frowned and looked at Harry.

"Well, we _could_ ask Nana if she would send an extra," Merlin shrugged.

Just then, Professor McGonagall came down from the staff table.

"Potter, Miss le Fay, please follow me with your mail," she said briskly.

Both students did, albeit reluctantly.

~:~

Minerva eyed the two students. "I have been made aware of the situation your adoptive parents have put you in," she announced gravely. "Which is why you will be given a single day off of classes each week to do a few days' worth of work for your Muggle schools. I have my guesses that you will need a Muggle tutor to help you, so I have gone to the liberty of reaching out to a fellow friend of mine to do so. Since you have Potions on Fridays - and you only have _that_ every other week, I will allow you to take Fridays off every other week that _doesn't_ have Potions and Wednesdays off. Is that suitable?"

Naruto and Harry looked at each other, guessing each others' thoughts.

"Yes, Professor," Harry nodded. "But - what about next year, and the years after that?"

"We will figure that out next year," McGonagall responded crisply. "Now, is there any religious needs that need to be taken care of?"

Merlin and Harry exchanged a glance.

"No, Professor," Merlin replied. Nana had always emphasized on how they had to focus on school and if they wanted to be religious later in life, there would be time for it.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall nodded, brushing her robes down. "You will begin this upcoming Wednesday, and I expect you in my classroom at eight in the morning, after you eat breakfast. Am I clear?"

Merlin nodded.

"Dismissed," she said, turning to her desk.

Both students left the room, quite sad.

~:~

Arthur Penn walked into the classroom. He was a wizard (in a sense of the word), but he did know a lot of the Muggle customs; he was a teacher, and of the school that these students were completing the work for. A shocking coincidence to be sure.

A Metamorphmagus and the Boy-Who-Lived.

Arthur's eyes briefly became draconic for a minute. They returned to normal before they could see his eyes.

"Hello, kids," he beamed at them. They started, looking up at him from their work. "Arthur Penn. Nice to meet you. I'll be checking over your schoolwork." He took out his cell phone, protected with various runes. "Don't tell Minnie, she's a stingy bitch when it comes to things like this."

Merlin - the Metamorph - tilted her head. "What's a bitch?"

Arthur panicked. He was a centuries-old dragon and if Minerva heard that he just taught two kids curse words he'd be killed by a _cat woman._

"Er. Nothing. Never repeat that."

Merlin nodded and Harry sighed.

"Lin, I have an issue." He pointed to a particular paragraph.

Merlin looked. "Oh, Harry." She started to explain it to him.

Arthur sat back.


	7. Chapter 7

"He's a bit strange," Merlin told Hermione in the common room. "But nice. He looked over our schoolwork and told us what we did wrong."

"He also said something really strange," Harry added when Merlin fell silent. "Hermione, what's a _bitch?"_

Hermione went bright red.

"He said that to you?!"

"He called Professor McGonagall that," Merlin frowned.

Hermione cleared her throat. "It's a… Well, it means a female dog, but when it's applied to humans, it means that Professor Penn thinks Professor McGonagall is a mean lady."

"Oh," Merlin nodded. "Okay. So we should listen to him and _not_ say that word?"

Hermione nodded furiously.

"Sounds good," Merlin cheerfully said, opening her DADA book. "Now, ghouls…"

~:~

Luckily enough for the two children, the first years didn't have that much homework to do as Halloween approached, though their limited free time was much more limited than either had hoped. Arthur - as he told them to call him - offered free classes to the students who wanted to take Muggle classes and keep it on the down-low.

Not many signed up, though. Only Hermione and Dean Thomas signed up, Ron Weasley whining a little about having to do _more_ work. Of course Hermione and Dean had to catch up.

"I heard something in the common room," Dean said one day in October. "Apparently the rooms are supposed to be separate from each other - like all the girls in one room and all the boys in another."

Hermione and Merlin exchanged dreading looks.

"I don't know about you," Hermione began, "but there's a first year in the girls' side that's a bit… Fake." Merlin bit her lower lip.

"Not fake, exactly, just a bit obsessed with makeup," Merlin clarified. "I mean, she's quite shallow, but maybe because she's born into privilege." They entered Arthur's class. "Maybe we ought to bug some of the others from our years, like Neville, into joining."

"He's nervous enough in Potions," grimaced Hermione. "Or I would have."

"I think a few more guys _should_ sign up," Harry said, speaking up. "And girls. It's just that with Merlin, I kind of feel like one of the girls," he explained to Dean with a blush.

"Eh, makes sense if I was around Merlin a lot. But she's cool," Dean smiled.

Merlin smiled a little.

They sat in a row.

Arthur turned to them, a smile on his face. Merlin thought she saw his eyes flash, but ignored it, thinking it was just a trick of the light.

"Now, today we're doing mathematics." Merlin winced. Her worst subject so far. "Actually, I'm just kidding. You've done the three chapters I wanted you to do done. I'm just assigning you homework… And you'll be free to go." Arthur smiled. "Unless you want an excuse to stay out of class, then you can hang in here. I have shit -" Everyone stared at him. He cleared his throat. "Um. Stuff. I have stuff to do."

He sat at his desk and began writing something down.

Merlin hesitated before she spoke.

"Hey, Arthur?"

He glanced up. "Yes, Merlin?"

"Why doesn't the Wizarding World use pens and pads of paper like you? I mean, since we didn't have any paper or pens we had to write our homework on parchment." She gestured to her crudely-made graph parchment.

Arthur opened his mouth to answer her, paused, opened his mouth again.

"No clue," he said.

Merlin facepalmed.

~:~

"Quidditch practice? Flying brooms seems a little cliche to me," Merlin tilted her head in confusion. "Why not rugs?" She ladled gravy on her potatoes.

"They were banned," Hermione said simply. "Because rugs are technically a Muggle item."

Merlin pointed at her. "And that logic is invalid, Hermione." At her friend's quizzical look, Merlin explained. "Brooms are Muggle items, too."

Hermione shrugged, then rolled her eyes at Harry sliding his History of Magic notes over to Merlin. "Are you _that_ afraid of ghosts?"

"I have nightmares about ghosts," Merlin muttered. "I had a nightmare where a poltergeist came and killed me."

Harry stared at Hermione, who had opened her mouth, very hard.

"There's no need to be scared," Harry said, still staring at Hermione. "There's no poltergeist here."

Hermione shut her mouth. "RIght," she lied.

Merlin, blissfully unaware of their lies, nodded. "I know. The Bloody Baron told me when he floated through me last night." Merlin shuddered. "I screamed."

Harry nodded. "Yep, and that's why I'm giving her my History of Magic homework. She had quite a nightmare last night."

"Of what?" George asked, sitting down and making Merlin jump.

"Ghosts," Hermione said as Fred sat down. "We're very lucky there _isn't a poltergeist here,_ right?"

Fred opened his mouth, only to be skewered by Hermione's and Harry's glares.

"Right," Fred agreed weakly.

Hermione dug into her chicken.

Dinner was finished, and everyone started making their way upstairs to do homework and other things.

"I want to start _doing_ magic," Hermione finally burst out in their little corner in the common room. "We may be first years, but we know that magic's not something to blatantly flaunt. We know about magical ability, theory - but the actual _spellwork_ we don't know much about." Hermione took out her History of Magic text. "And this book's useless."

"So's this one," Merlin said, flinging _Hogwarts, A History_ to the side. "Says there's a poltergeist in the castle by the name of Peeves. I met Peeves, and he's not awful like the book says, so he's not a poltergeist."

Hermione avoided answering her by looking at Neville, who had joined their small study group. While Dean Thomas went with them to Arthur's class on Wednesdays, he preferred to hand with Seamus Finnegan.

"I could ask my gran," he said after a moment. "She might know a bit more."

"She might," Merlin smiled.

"Tomorrow's Halloween," Harry said suddenly. "Which means we'll be taking flying lessons and - if what Fred says is true - Quidditch tryouts for next year!"

Merlin rolled her eyes. "I still think magic carpets are better. If there's a sticking charm, use the sticking charm to keep yourself on the bloody carpet. You have to shift on brooms constantly."

She picked up her Defense book, _Defense for Beginners_ by P. Graves.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, you do have a point there." She turned to Neville. "Hey, Neville - you should join our non-magic work group."

"Yeah, in case you want a job out there in the Muggle world. Even if you don't, it makes some kind of sense, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Neville said uncertainly. "But won't I have a lot of work to catch up on?"

Merlin smiled. "Harry and I already did the work up until Winter Break for regular Muggle schools," she admitted. "We can tutor you if you need it."

Neville brightened. "Thank you. My gran's been nagging about doing some kind of extra activity - I don't fancy trying out the Gobstones Club."

Ron poked his nose in. "You're _still_ trying to get people to join your Muggle studies?"

"It's not our fault some people actually want to be successful," Merlin wisely pointed out. Her evergreen eyes - which changed colors - met Harry's green with amusement.

He bit his lip and looked down at his book.

"Ooh, Merlin! A curse to tie someone's tongue up!" He looked at her, and Merlin peeked over the edge of the book.

Tongue-Tying Curse.

"Of course they have those," she smirked. "Just imagine if you could tie Dursley's tongue."

They grinned matching grins.

"Dursley?" Hermione asked.

"A bully where we live," Merlin explained. "I would like to _accidentally_ trip him up."

"Or curse him," Harry said. "I would like to be able to Banish Mrs. Figg's cats."

Merlin gave him a horrified look. "Cats are the epitome of everything sneaky and lovable!" she protested.

"Mrs. Figg has about _twenty_ of the bloody things," Harry said with a scowl.

Ailuros purred as she leapt on Harry's head.

"Well, even so. At least we earned money doing it."

There was a quiet moment, where everyone got back to what they were doing until Parvati and Lavender tripped and landed on their faces.

"Parvati! Lavender!" Merlin gasped, standing to help them.

"Um…" Parvati stood without her help. "I really wanted to ask you if you have room in your study group."

"Always!" Merlin chirped. Turning to Lavender, who was looking at the ground, Lavender met her eyes and mumbled that she'd like to join as well.

A smile appeared on Merlin's face, so big that it seemed to stretch from ear to ear.


	8. Chapter 8

_Nana, Papa,_

 _Sorry we haven't written much - there's so much here and we've been terribly busy. Magic school is schoolwork and exams, pretty much. Our tutor for our non-magic work has us working on the written portion of the books. After winter, we'll start the physical portion._

 _I got Sorted into a school House. Actually, both Merlin and I got Sorted in the same house - if you can believe it, there was a talking hat involved._

 _I like most of the teachers here. Professor Snape is the exception to that, because whenever he looks at me I think he hates my guts. I think that because my scar's constantly hurting, and according to Merlin, who's actually been reading some Healing books - books that are telling her how to heal people, like doctors do - according to her it's a curse scar, and curse scars don't hurt as much._

 _There's not much else to tell, other than we're making lots of friends. Mostly in our own House, but Merlin's recently met a girl named Cho Chang who isn't in our House._

 _More later - Hermione's asking me about someone named Nicolas Flamel._

 _Love,_

 _Harry Potter_

The letter lay open on a dusty table.

"They're protected," a voice said. "As soon as what happened gets out, there'll be no way to catch them."

"That old fool -"

"Is not the one that protects them. Even if he was… No. We need to leave this place. Put the mark upon the wall."

A witch waved her hand, and a burning mark appeared.

The mark of Mordred, which was an 'M' made entirely out of swords.

The entire mark seemed to solidify, then settled into the wall as though it was a painting.

"It begins."

~:~

Harry stalked off the field, glaring at Draco.

Merlin held in a groan.

"Your brother will end up on the wrong end of a wand one day," Pansy huffed.

Merlin blinked. "Oh, yeah?" She withdrew her wand. "Is that a threat, Parkinson?" Just because she privately agreed with the other first year didn't mean she'd allow anyone to insult her brother. Other than her, of course.

"No," Draco said, startling everyone. "Longbottom, please accept my apologies. I was quite out of line to do that."

Neville shrank behind Merlin. "It's fine," he muttered. "I still don't know what I forgot."

Merlin looked at him, wondering why he looked so off.

Then she realized it.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin," she said after a moment. "You forgot you bloody _robes."_

Half of Gryffindor House looked mortally embarrassed.

Madam Hooch came striding back with Parvati, who had slipped off her broom.

"Where's Potter?" Madam Hooch asked.

Pansy opened her mouth.

"Professor McGonagall asked to see him," Draco lied.

Merlin was pretty sure everyone was staring at Draco like he was a tapeworm because he was a Slytherin and had just lied for a _Gryffindor._

"Oh." Madam Hooch looked disappointed. "Well, let's just get on with the lesson."

~:~

"Enjoy the feast!" The Headmaster proclaimed as everyone dug in. Harry sat down just as Merlin began eating and informed her quietly.

"I'm going to be a Seeker," he told her.

Merlin frowned, reminded of her pitiful attempts to mount a broom.

"I'm going to input a petition to get carpets allowed," she announced.

Hermione sighed. "You have to be seventeen to do so."

Merlin muttered something that sounded like "ducking spit".

Harry slapped the back of her head.

" _Language,_ or I'll sic the Bloody Baron on you," he said sternly.

Merlin had a mutinous face.

"So un-"

"TROLL!"

Professor Quirrell ran into the Great Hall. Merlin's currently sepia eyes widened as the rather unremarkable teacher (really, Merlin could barely remember a single lesson of his, they were _that_ boring) stopped and clutched at his heart.

"Troll - in the dungeon," he gasped out. "Thought you ought to know."

He crumpled.

Merlin tilted her head, then faced forward.

~:~

When she was finished with dinner, she stood and walked out of the Great Hall.

"What are you doing?" Professor Snape demanded, appearing out of nowhere.

Merlin blinked her eyes.

"Sorry," she said, her hair turning pink with embarrassment. "But I just thought he was lying. And I haven't really eaten anything today, so I was quite hungry."

Snape stared at her. "What made you think he was lying?"

Merlin frowned, recalling her Healing books. "Well… There's only one fact, really. If someone were passing out, they'd usually pass out on their faces. And he was too casual."

Snape stared at her for a long moment. "I see." He nodded to himself. "Do not mention this to anyone else. Go directly to your dormitory." He paused. "And be quick about it."

Merlin nodded quickly and darted up the stairs, mind racing.


End file.
